DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang, who has announced his candidacy for Gelang Patah in the 13th general election, has challenged MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek to face him in the BN stronghold.

azlan According to China Press and Sinchew Daily , the challenge was issued during a DAP ceramah in Puchong, Selangor, on Saturday evening.

However, Lim’s office later today contacted Malaysiakini to clarify that he did not challenge Chua to a duel in Gelang Patah during the event, and that the news reports were factually incorrect.

According to the reports, the Ipoh Timor MP told the crowd that his decision to contest in Gelang Patah, Johor, is to uproot Umno and MCA from their stronghold.

Lim, the Ipoh Timor MP told the crowd that his decision to contest in Gelang Patah, Johor, is to uproot Umno and MCA from their stronghold.

Chua, who has yet to make it clear whether he will contest, had said opposition leaders who change their battlefield are doing so because of their poor service in their current constituencies.

Yesterday, while in Gepeng, Perak, Chua had said Lim and Permatang Pauh MP Anwar Ibrahim, have never served their constituents after being elected in 2008, but had only given empty promises.

“According to feedback from voters, they had voted Pakatan Rakyat for nothing. They can only see Pakatan elected representatives on posters, TV and newspapers. What the people want are leaders who can serve them,” he was quoted as saying in another China Press report.

azlan In a related development, Nanyang Siang Pau quoted Lim as saying at the same Puchong ceramah that DAP candidates including himself may contest under the PAS or PKR logo if the Registrar of Societies (ROS) acts the party.

“I will probably use the PAS logo ... This would bring the relationship of DAP, PKR and PAS closer in toppling topple BN and Umno,” he reportedly said.

He was referring to the possibility of the ROS acting against DAP for refusing to hold fresh party elections after mistakes were discovered in the tallying process.

No objections from PAS, PKR

PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali said it would not be a problem for DAP candidates to use the party’s logo.

NONE “If DAP is really suspended, PAS would be ready to accept DAP candidates contest on the PAS ticket,” he told Sinar Harian .

“This is not something unusual as PAS also fielded (non-Muslim) candidates from the PAS Supporters Club in the past. It would be better for them to use the logo of other component parties in Pakatan than to contest as Independents.”

PKR vice-president Tian Chua said he shares the view.

“We in PKR have no problem with DAP contesting under the logo of Pakatan parties,” he told the Malay daily.

NONE PAS ulama chief Harun Taib told Utusan Malaysia that DAP is free to use the PKR or PAS logo but that it must first seek consent from both parties.

MCA Youth secretary-general Chai Kim Sen (left) , however, said Harun's remark shows that DAP is “being forced to request permission from their big brother in seeking their favour”.

“It is sad to see DAP having to ask favours from PAS, yet it only proves that what we have been saying all along is correct - that DAP is and always will be subservient to PAS and that there is no equality among the component parties of Pakatan,” he said in a statement today.